


I'm Always Here For You

by Violent_Bulldog



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: And her mental stability, Angst, Anxiety, Billy died in front of Max after a car crash, Bisexual Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Domestic Violence, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Issues, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jane is just a ordinary person, Max lost her pinky on her right hand from the crash, Maxine "Max" Mayfield is a Good Friend, Maxine "Max" Mayfield isn't okay, Nancy Wheeler Is a Good Friend, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Other, Panic Attacks, Protective Eleven | Jane Hopper, Protective Jonathan Byers, Questioning Eleven | Jane Hopper, Robin Buckley is a good friend, Self-Harm, Step-Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Steve Harrington is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-19 04:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19968334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violent_Bulldog/pseuds/Violent_Bulldog
Summary: Max can't go to her houseSo she goes home, to JaneThey both struggle but they have each other





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning
> 
> Self-Harm  
> Panic Attacks  
> Car Crash Death and Injuries  
> Domestic Abuse

It started out with hand-holding.

It might seem innocent to anyone passing by, just two teenage girls holding hands as they walked with their friends. But the two were more than friends. Much, much more.

Their hands were joint most of the time they were together. It was a comfort thing for both of them, letting the other know that they were there. They were silently grateful that nobody questioned them. They wouldn't know what to say. 

They sat next to each other in a few of their classes. Sometimes they held hands under their desks, sometimes they let their knees touch. Anything to just know that the other was there. Max needed it slightly more than Jane. She needed to know that Jane was there and it wasn't just her imagination. 

People had left notes in her locker. 'Freak', 'Loser', 'Crybaby', 'Dyke'. They made it seem like it was her fault that a drunk driver smashed his car into Billy's Camaro, killing him. Billy had been projected through the car window, left to bleed out as Max tried to save him. Max hadn't even realised her own injuries until an ambulance had arrived and pried her away from Billy. Now she lived with nine fingers instead of ten, a large scar on her right side and a severe case of PTSD. 

But she had Jane. Jane stayed with her at the hospital when her own family didn't turn up. Jane let her stay at her house with Hopper and Joyce and the Byers boys. The two adults let Max stay as long as she wanted or needed. They even talked about letting her move in with them, but that was behind closed doors at a time that was inappropriate for being awake at. Will and Jonathan had quickly grown used to having Max at the table for breakfast and again for dinner. Of course, Max made herself useful by doing the dishes and taking out the trash. She had stayed with them well she healed too, but she felt so self-conscious for not helping them that she nearly opened the stitches on her side when she tried to stack the plates in a cupboard. After that, Joyce made her rest.

Max hated just laying around and not helping so she helped Will make new DND campaigns for the Party to play, she helped Jane with her vocabulary and she helped Jonathan with his college applications, (He was surprised about how helpful she was but remembered that she was probably helping Billy before the crash). Some day's when everyone was out, Max lay in her and Jane's room and cried. Cried because her brother died, cried because the last thing that he said was to keep herself safe from Neil, cried because she had gone back to her house for one day and Neil had hit her and blamed her for the death of his favourite punching bag, cried because she saw how close the Byers-Hopper residence was with one another, cried because she hurt. She hurt. Physically, mentally, emotionally. Every way a person can hurt. 

She had people to talk too. Jonathan had come home early one day and heard her crying. He was awkward but comforted her. Told her that she was safe with them, that they wouldn't let anything bad happen to her again, that _he_ wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. It made her cry harder because Billy used to say the same thing to her. Jonathan held her and let her cried and when she finally stopped, he offered to take her out to get ice cream at Scoops Ahoy. She was grateful for him. He was like a brother to her. It hurt too, but she was grateful anyways.

She had grown a lot closer to Steve and Robin after the accident too as they both acted like older siblings as well. She was closer with Robin though, even though she had only met her at the beginning of summer. They shared a silent bond, the same type of bond that Steve and Dustin had. Robin always let her sit in the back of Scoops if Max just needed a quiet place. She had taught Max Pig-Latin, often using it to insult Steve behind his back. No matter what, it made Max laugh so Robin decided that she had done a good job. Occasionally, Max said her own insult about Steve which made Robin proud. The insults weren't anything major, just stuff like "Steve is an idiot" or "He has no chance with girls", stupid things. Steve had learned a little bit of the language himself, as one time when Robin was serving, he had told Max that "Robin is dumb". Max had just snickered and grinned at him. It made Steve happy that he could help Max be happy because everyone knew she deserved it. Well, everyone that was in their friend group.

By the time Max had healed fully, it had been a week before the Party started High School. Max knew that people would be talking about her, the crash, _Billy._ She wasn't sure if she could handle it, but Jane had talked to her. Promised to stay with her, to keep her safe. Max had chuckled, saying that she could take care of herself when Jane took her hands and looked into her eyes. Max saw the genuine look in Jane's chocolate eyes which made her slightly nervous. Jane told her that she cared about her, so, so, so much and that she would do anything to protect her. She said that Max didn't need to be tough or brave around her and that she could be open with her feelings. Max's hands trembled in Jane's as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Jane promised. She promised that she would take care of Max, no matter what. Neither of them were sure who leaned in first but their lips connected, slowly and gently. The genuine feeling of trust was shared through it. When they separated, their cheeks were dusted pink. Max said that she trusted Jane. Jane had smiled, a dreamy look on her face. 

Jane needed Max too. It was her first time at a public school for actual school reasons and not just for the boys to play around in the AV room. She had been homeschooled all her life as she had always struggled with her vocabulary. Hopper had helped her learn, so did Mike, Will, Nancy and the rest of their friends. She had greatly improved but still struggled every now and then. She was scared that someone would mock her if she had to read aloud in English class or if she had to say a long number. She was scared that people would bully her but she knew that she could stick up for herself in front of them. 

But she had Max. She was sassy and would murder someone if they said a bad word about Jane. Max wouldn't hesitate to defend her, to speak her mind. Max, somehow, always knew what Jane would want to say and would say it. Max could destroy anyone who even whispered a bad thing about Jane. She was very protective, Jane decided quickly.

They never made anything official. After all, Mike and Lucas still liked them. Max had said that she was "Bisexual" and then spent half an hour trying to explain it to Jane. Jane explained that she had liked Mike, she currently liked Max but didn't really know. Max told her that it was completely okay not to know and Jane had immediately felt better. They slept closer that night, Max's arm draped across Jane's stomach, holding her close. It was the first night since the crash where both girls slept peacefully.

The first time it happened was in English. Thet sat with their knees touching as Jane took notes and Max doodled on the desk. The boy behind Max had been whispering throughout the entire lesson. Max heard the words "Crash" and "Billy" and she almost started to sob right then and there. Instead, she excused herself to the bathroom, grabbed her bag and ran. She wasn't sure where she was running to but she needed to get away. She didn't even acknowledge the pain from her side. She soon found herself in a very quiet bathroom in the far east of the school. This was normally the quietest area of the school, according to Nancy, as it was the furthest away from the main entrance. She slumped down against the surprisingly clean wall to the equally surprisingly clean floor as her tears fell. She pulled her knees to her chest and cried. Her chest tightened as she cried and she soon became breathless, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. She tried, and failed, to slow her breathing as she felt the panic attack getting worse. This was the first time that she was alone to deal with it. She normally had someone with her whether it was Jane or Joyce or Robin or even Mike. 

Her thoughts swirled in her head, from the memories of the crash to the notes she found in her locker the previous day. She felt a faint trickle of blood from her hands as she crushed her nails into the weak flesh. Her body was shaking when she heard a quiet pattering from down the corridor. She recognised the footsteps. Jane's.

Max tried to shut herself up but she couldn't. Her tears kept falling and her chest kept tightening. She hid her face in her knees as Jane's footsteps drew closer.

Jane had left the class right after Max, glaring at the boy behind her who genuinely seemed alarmed. Jane searched around the school for a while before she stumbled upon an abandoned-looking section. There was a worn sigh that faintly said "East Section" and Jane heard soft cries from deep within the corridor. She immediately recognised them to be Max's and she quickly descended into the dull tunnel. She heard the sobs clearer as she got closer but she also heard the shortness of breath. Jane sighed softly before picking up her pace. She needed to comfort her best friend. Or whatever they were, Jane wasn't sure.

As Jane arrived at the bathroom, she saw Max slumped against the wall. Her hands were stained red and her body was trembling. Jane's heart broke as she slowly approached her.

"Hey Max. It's me, Jane. I'm here, right next to you" Jane whispered, doing her best not to disturb Max. Jane was normally the one with Max when she had a panic attack. She knew how to help.

"Is it okay if I hold your hand?" She got a tiny nod so Jane slowly and softly took Max's left hand, gently prying her fingers away so she wasn't cutting herself.

"Can I have the other one too?" Another nod and Jane did the same thing. She held both of Max's hands, ignoring the blood.

"Do you remember when Mike thought it would be funny to throw eggs at Dustin's house? He thought it was a good Halloween prank and even got Lucas involved. It was funny until one of them hit Dustin's mom's window and she chased them away with a broom. And Lucas dropped one of the eggs and Mike slipped on it. He got covered in it. He had to go out trick-or-treating like that. And Dustin threw another egg at him when they went to get him. Everyone took a photo of Mike, drenched in egg. He was so pissed, it was hilarious" Jane told the story, her voice soft. As she finished, she heard a weak chuckle. Max was looking at her, her eyes bloodshot and her face tearstained but a small smile was present. Jane gave her a soft smile.

"I remember. He was so cranky" Max's voice was hoarse but playful at the same time. Jane giggled and nodded.

"He was pouting the entire night" She whispered. Max pulled Jane into a tight hug, holding her close. Jane held her just as tight.

"Thank you, Jane. I... I needed you" Max mumbled into the younger girl's shoulder.

"I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you Maxi" The nickname hadn't meant to slip out but it caused Max to chuckled so Jane guessed that it was alright.

They ditched the rest of the day, spending it in the back of Scoops Ahoy with Robin and Steve giving them free ice cream every hour or so. Max slept on Jane's shoulder after an hour and a half. Robin came into the back shortly after, sitting in front of Jane.

"You're good to her. Like, really good to her. I'm happy for both of you" She said, an affectionate twinkle in her eyes. Jane felt her cheeks heat up and looked down at the floor.

"Robin?" Jane's voice was quiet, shy. Robin hummed for her to continue.

"How do you know if you're in love?" Jane whispered and Robin had to suppress her grin.

"Well, you get a warm feeling whenever you're around that person. Like, they make you feel safe and happy but in a different way than a parent does. You feel comfortable with that person and comfortable to share whatever's on your mind. You can get a weird feeling in your stomach, a fluttery feeling. Like butterflies. You get me?" Jane nodded slowly.

"I think i'm in love with Max"


	2. Chapter 2

Hopper came to pick the girls up after a short while. He knew that they would go to Scoops whenever they ditched school, which wasn't often. He also knew that they would only ditch if something went really wrong. He arrived at Scoops, Steve letting him into the back, where he saw Max with her head on Jane's shoulder, sound asleep. He let a small smile tug at his lips. Jane and Robin sat, gently disinfecting Max's hands when Jane looked up at her dad and smiled sheepishly. Robin finished disinfecting one of Max's hands and went to put the supplies away. Hopper leaned against the wall next to the two younger girls.

"What happened?" Was all he said which earned a sigh from Jane.

"A kid in English was talking about the crash. Max ran to the bathroom, I followed. She had a panic attack and cut her hands. I helped and we came here. Don't be mad, please?" Jane gave him such innocent eyes that any thought of punishment left immediately. Not that he was planning on punishing them, but still.

"Is she alright now?" He hummed, glancing between the girls. Jane nodded slowly.

"She fell asleep here. Robin helped clean her hands" She stated. Hopper motioned for Jane to stand up as he gently picked Max up. He grimaced at how light she was as he carried her to his car. He muttered a dull thanks to Steve and Robin, who both smiled sadly in response. Jane followed behind him, sitting in the back with Max. She gently intertwined their hands as Hopper drove them home.

Max woke up just as Hopper parked his car. The first thing she saw was Jane (which she definitely didn't complain about). She felt Jane squeeze her hand softly which caused her to smile slightly. She sat up slowly, pushing herself from Jane's shoulder before taking her free hand and rubbing her eyes. She got out of the car after Jane as the trio made their way into the house. Hopper kissed Joyce on the cheek as a greeting, which both younger girls found adorable. Joyce saw them watching and shooed them off to their room but not before giving Max a reassuring smile. 

Jane locked the door behind them before collapsing onto her bed, sighing deeply. Max dropped her schoolbag next to the bed and sat on the edge of it. Jane lifted her head before gesturing for Max to cuddle with her. Max rolled her eyes playfully before laying down. Jane quickly put her arm over the redhead, pulling her closer. Max hummed softly in contentness. 

"I love you, Janey" Max whispered. Jane smiled at the stupid nickname.

"I love you too, Maxi"

**_"Whatever you do, keep yourself away from him... he'll only hurt you. I'm sorry Max, I'm sorry I can't protect you anymore"_ **

**_"Billy, Billy, please. Y-You're gonna be okay, I promise!"_ **

**_"I love you, Max. Remember that"_ **

**_"B-Billy, no. No, no, no, no, no! You're gonna be o-o-okay, come on! Billy... Billy please!"_ **

Max shot up from the bed, chest heaving. She looked around frantically, trying to get a grip of where she was and what was happening.

Five things she could see; Her backpack, her skateboard, a poster of Michael J. Fox, one of Billy's necklaces, which really didn't help but she could still see it, and... Jane, sitting up beside her.

Four things she could touch; She felt the rough wood from the nightstand, the soft mattresses, the cold metal of a lamp and... Jane's hand, gently on top of her own.

Three things she could hear; Hopper's snoring from down the hall, her own rapid breathing and... Jane's voice, whispering gently to her.

Two things she could smell; The always present musk of Jonathan's deodorant and... Jane's strawberry and vanilla shampoo. 

One thing she could taste; The faint vanilla from Jane's lip balm which was a result of a shy, yet bold kiss goodnight.

Her body relaxed slowly, her breathing evening out. Her arms were loosely around Jane's shoulders as Jane had carefully pulled her into a gentle embrace. Max just held onto her, breathing slowly. Jane whispered calmingly to her, soft reassurances. 

They stayed like that for a while, neither of them wanting to break the embrace.

"You okay?" Jane whispered eventually, pulling away just enough so that she could see Max's face. Her face was paler than usual but she gave a small smile and a nod.

"I think so. Sorry if I woke you" Her voice was slightly strained but still soft. Jane shook her head before swiftly pressing her lips to the other girl's. She heard Max's breath hitch and giggled into the kiss before pulling away slowly. Jane smirked to herself, proud to be the cause of the pink dusting on Max's cheeks. Max rolled her eyes playfully.

"Can we... talk?" She mumbled. Jane quickly nodded her head.

"I want to talk about... that night. But I don't know if I'm ready to" Max explained, looking down at the bedsheets. She had no idea what time it was but she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, not after that dream.

"You can try. I won't judge you. Promise" Jane took Max's hands into her own as she moved to sit across from her. Max nodded slowly.

"Okay. You know how Mike invited us all to his 4th of July celebrations cause they're meant to be the best?" Jane gave a brief nod. "Well, Billy was driving me there when a drunk driver smashed into the car. It hit the backseat, behind the driver which caused Billy to... to go out the windshield. The car hit into a tree which blocked my door so I had to climb out the windshield. That's how-" She held up her right hand, flexing the stump that was left of her pinky finger. "-this happened. I didn't realise though. I also didn't know that I had cut myself on the glass which is what the scar is from. Anyways, I saw the driver skidding away quickly but I saw his eyes. He looked... familiar but I still don't know how. I saw B-Billy and ran to him. He was bleeding, so, so much. I took off my hoodie and used it to try and stop the bleeding from his chest. But it didn't work. H-He knew that he was dying and he kept telling me that he was sorry that he couldn't protect me anymore and that I need to stay away from that house and Neil because he would only hurt me like he hurt him" She was crying at this point but Jane made no efforts to stop her from telling the story. "The last thing he told me was that he loved me and that I needed to remember that. That's when the ambulance arrived but it was too late. He was... dead. He was dead. He was dead. He is dead and I can't do anything about it. If I'd just skated to the stupid party then he would still be alive. He's dead and it's my fault" Jane gently placed her hand over Max's mouth and shook her head. They were both crying silently.

"Max. It's not your fault. It's the driver's fault. He chose to drink and drive and it's his fault. Not yours. Billy loved you. I know he did, I could see it in his eyes. When you first landed a kickflip, his eyes were gleaming with pride. When you got an A on a test, he was proud. And, even if he's not here physically, he will always be proud of you. He will always love you. He'll always be with you. He'd hate that you blame yourself. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to continue to have a normal life. It's not your fault. Not at all" Jane whispered, holding Max's hands, gently stroking her thumb over the redhead's knuckles. Max's teary, bloodshot eyes met her own, an uncertain look expressed through them.

"Really?" Her voice broke. She sounded so young, so childlike, _so much like she should for her age._ She was fourteen and had experienced more than most people do in their whole lives. Not only had she been forced to move across the country because of her douchbag of a step-father but she was also abused by him, had moved to a new school halfway through the last year of Middle School, had been bullied and picked on until Billy threatened to ruin the bullies lives, had saw her brother die, had gotten severely injured in the same accident, had been further abused by her step-father and had to move out of the toxic household to live with people who already treated her like family. All in the last two years. She never talked about California so nobody knew if things were bad there but seeing that they had to move across the country, they could only assume bad things had happened.

"Really. You're not alone Maxi. You have the Party, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Hop, Joyce, Jonathan and... me. We're all here for you Maxi, I promise. We all love you" Jane reassured, slowly bringing one of Max's hands to her face and kissing the back of it gently. Max smile faintly.

"I love you all too. You help keep me sane" She whispered. Jane just smile, the same stupid caring smile that made Max fall in love with her to start with.

"And I-I think... I think I love you. L-Like, I think that I'm in love with you? I know that it's really too soon and we're not even dating and that Mike is still super in love with you and-" Jane pressed her lips against Max's quickly, shutting her up instantly. She felt Max's hands on her shoulders, gently twirling her hair. She pulled away slowly to be met with a dazed expression.

"I think I love you too. I talked to Robin earlier when you were asleep and she described it to me. I feel that way whenever I'm with you" Jane whispered. Max grinned, taking a small mental note to thank Robin later.

"Does that make us...?" She trailed off and Jane could see the hopefulness in her eyes.

"Max? Will you be my girlfriend?" 

"Yes. Obviously" Max replied quickly. They shared a dorky grin before kissing again, soft and meaningful. Someone cleared their throat and the two nearly threw themselves away from the other. Hopper stood at the doorway, trying to suppress a smile.

"As adorable as that was, it's three in the morning. Save the lovey-dovey crap until the morning, okay?" He whispered. Jane could see how badly he wanted to tease them in his eyes. They both nodded before Hopper closed the door over, leaving three inches of space. They both broke into fights of quiet laughter and Jane saw how red Max's cheeks were.

"Guess we should sleep?" Jane whispered after they stopped laughing. Max nodded slowly.

"I'll sleep better after talking to you" She whispered back. Jane rolled her eyes and gently shoved her shoulder.

"Sap"

"Shut up" Max grumbled playfully as she lay down. Jane pulled Max's arm over her stomach, finding comfort in feeling her warm breath on the back of her neck.

"Love you, Maxi"

"Love you too, Janey"

**Author's Note:**

> I'd be happy to write a part two if people like this  
> Let me know in the comments <3


End file.
